The Sabbath Hour

Northern Advocate, 11 November 1939, Page 9

The Sabbath Hour

Should Christians Engage In War ?

(Notes of Sermon preached by the Rev. R. G. Bycroft, in Baptist Church, Whangarei).

This question is uppermost in many minds today, and the purpose of this address is to try to help Christians, and not to decide the issue for them. It is a matter which each individual must settle for himself.

There is a doctrine abroad today called Pacifism, which is very strongly held by some, believing that ft is the sovereign remedy for war. In the spirit of love I would like to state three reasons why I believe Pacifism can never reach its goal in this present age. (1) The Lord Jesus Christ declared the course of this age would be wars and rumours of wars, whole nations and kingdoms being involved as the end of the age drew near. (2) The Bible teaches that righteousness must be the chief characteristic of any people before there can be any real, lasting peace. We cannot reverse God’s order, and we regret to say that righteousness of the kind that God requires is often conspicuous by its absence. The trend of the world seems to be definitely away from God. (3) The Scriptures make it clear that the present world order fs dominated and controlled by Satan, and so long as he is “the Prince of the Power of the Air and the God of this world,” law and order can only be obtained by armed force, whether it be abroad or at home.

;T wonder how many people realise how much they are indebted to the Police Force for protection of property and life. Do we realise they are the power that stands between us and those that would harm us? Now just so long as we cannot dispense with locks and keys to protect our goods from thieves, nor with the police to preserve our persons from assault, and our homes from housebreakers, it is vain to hope that we can dispense with the means of protecting our country from those who, dignified with the names of rulers and dictators, are nothing more than thieves and murderers, who would in private life pay the penalty for their deeds on the gallows. We do well to remember that war is due to the human rebellion against the government of God, and as long as that usurper, the devil, usurps Christ’s rightful place in the hearts of men and women, there will be wars, and only armed force can keep law and order. For this reason, the doctrine of pacifism can never be a remedy for the awful scourge of war. The pacifists’ fond dream seems to be that if only they could secure a sufficient number of people who will refuse to fight for their country, war would be abolished. Some time ago a newspaper editor received a letter from a correspondent who affirmed that if a million people would vow never to serve or assist in any war of the future, there would be no such war. The editor’s reply is as follows: “What would you do if Britain happened to be invaded, and the enemy bombers were on their way to blow up your town, and your home, while

we had plenty of machines and guns with which to stop them? You have sent us a short cut to peace. Actually it is the shortest cut to war. If a few people in Europe knew for certain that millions of British people think upon the lines of your plan, then the dogs of war would be unleashed now.” In Romans 13:4 wo are told that the sword must be used today for the upholding of the authority of the State It would appear, judging from the present world situation that the question should be: Should a Christian defend his own home, his wife and children? Some pacifists declare they would not, but if it came to a real test, I believe they would. As Baptists, we must respect the convictions of the legitimate conscientious objector, but let me hasten to add that there are many ways in which one so minded can render excellent service to his country in time of war and yet not take up arms. Red Cross and ambulance work presents excellent opportunities for very definite service. Let each one be fully persuaded in his own mind, remembering that “To his own Master, he stands or falls.”

and for the punishment of the evildoer. Now, as citizens of this earth, we have to decide whether we have a responsibility to our country to protect society, if need be by force, while we are in subjection to the authority of the State. This subjection is confirmed in 1 Peter 2:13-14. You cannot enforce Christian ethics in a nonChristian world. In this age force must be used to check evil.

An incident is often quoted in Matthew 26:51-52 to prove that a Christian should not take up arms. You know how Simon Peter drew his. sword to defend his Lord, but Jesus said unto him: “Put up thy sword again into his place, for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” We need to remember here that Jesus was not here referring to the interests of any national cause, taut to the defence of spiritual truth and the interests of a spiritual kingdom. He was rebuking Peter for relying on carnal weapons to achieve a spiritual objective. In that realm of conflict the sword must be kept in its sheath. It is well to remember that at another time our Lord said: “He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.”